Oldsmobile, or Olds Motor Vehicle Company, was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In March of 1901, the company had a whole line of models ready to be mass produced, but a mistake by a worker caused the entire factory to go up in flames with only the Oldsmobile Curved Dash surviving thanks to two workers who wheeled it out while escaping. The first mass-produced car, made from the first non-moving automotive assembly line, was the Oldsmobile Curved Dash. Oldsmobile was also the first car manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission.

Oldsmobile's most reported problem on RepairPal is associated with the passcode sensor on some Cadillac Aero models.